What's Hot: Very protective of the entire tablet, comes in various prints, and has built-in stand.

What's Not: The tablet holder isn't the easiest to take off and the case adds 10.2 ounces to the carrying weight.

Reviewed by Tong Zhang

The French design house Graphique de France has introduced a new line of iPad cases called TheCover, a collection of hard cardboard cases that come in different style prints. The case offers excellent protection for the entire iPad and it hides the tablet in an appearance of a hardcover notebook. TheCover case offers convenient features such as magnetic cover, a built-in stand, cutouts for ports and buttons and it's very affordable. TheCover is currently available online and soon in more than 150 Bed, Bath and Beyond stores nationwide.

Design

TheCover for iPad is a very protective case. The exterior looks very much like a well-made notebook with reinforced covers and notebook style binding. The case holds the tablet in a plastic holder that's bonded to the back cover, and it's easy to put the tablet into the holder, but takes some effort to take the tablet out. With the case closes, TheCover looks just like a paper notebook and it even offers several designed prints that enhance the illusion, like the New York Citiscape below, the Flavor Stripes design that looks like a recipe book, and more. TheCover currently comes in 8 graphics.

TheCover's clean design doesn't get in the way of function. The magnetic pieces embedded in the front cover keeps the case shut securely. TheCover protects the tablet from any bumps, serious nicks and scratches as well as some shock damage as the structure of the case is strong and the corners of the iPad are protected. TheCover is quite slim even with a plastic tablet holder inside, but it does add 10.2 ounces to your tablet.

Features

TheCover for iPad is a functional case. All ports and buttons are easily accessible thanks to the generous cutouts on the plastic tablet holder. The holder has a perfect cutout for the side buttons and tapered cutouts for the bottom Lightning port and speaker. The top of the holder is mostly open, and there is a cutout for the rear camera that gives the lens full view. The magnets in the front cover also work with iPad's auto sleep and wake up feature flawlessly.

On the back of the plastic tablet holder, TheCover has a strip of reinforced cardboard with magnets that work with the magnets in the back cover. This strip is strong enough to prop up the tablet holder and put the iPad in standing positions. You can put the tablet in either typing mode in a flatter angle or in media mode with a more straight angle. The built-in stand feels steady at holding up the iPad. And when you're done with the stand, you can fold the stand strip back, hiding it behind the tablet holder.

Conclusion

TheCover for iPad is a protective case for the entire tablet and it offers a new look with several eye-catching prints that make the iPad look like a high-end paper notebook. The case has a nice design with access to all ports and buttons, and a built-in stand that's easy to use and adds very little bulk to the tablet. We like the collection and the affordable price. The tablet holder does take some effort to de-install and the case is a bit heavier than similar style cases such as the Speck FitFolio Case.